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Nightingale Awards celebrate excellence in nursing practice and leadership
Left to right: Christa Blohowiak, Elizabeth Kaiser, Sarah Curran, Kathy Mallmann and Lindsay Schehr were celebrated Thursday at the Nightingale Awards ceremony.
Four top Wisconsin nurses and an exceptional nurse leader were awarded for their outstanding service by the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh College of Nursing and Board of Visitors during the annual Nightingale Awards ceremony April 20 at the Culver Family Welcome Center.
For almost 30 years, UW Oshkosh has hosted this prestigious event to honor individuals who embody the spirit of Florence Nightingale and demonstrate excellence in nursing practice, as well as nurse leaders who work in mid-management or supervisory roles.
Lindsay Schehr
One of the Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice recipients, Lindsay Schehr, is a UWO College of Nursing alumna. She earned a nursing bachelor’s degree in 2010 and a nursing master’s in 2012. She now serves as a nurse practitioner at Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital in Portage.
In her role, she works within the rural hospital’s busy obstetrics and gynecology department and the women’s health clinic. There, she goes above and beyond to improve patient care, including creating a handcrafted C-section model to better educate and prepare patients, arranging meetings and funding for a freezer so the hospital could use donor breast milk in their labor and delivery department, fundraising for car seat strollers for patients to use at the clinic and more.
When caring for patients, she is compassionate and takes the time to listen to their needs, making them her top priority. She puts patients at ease with her immense knowledge and wonderful bedside manner, providing the support that every new mom needs during such a challenging and stressful time.
A lifelong learner and teacher, she uses evidence-based practice to guide her medical decision making. Outside of the hospital, she attends community events and visits classrooms, serving as a guest speaker to enhance medical education and spark scientific curiosity.
Additional Nightingale Award for Excellence in Nursing Practice recipients include Christa Blohowiak, of ThedaCare; Elizabeth Kaiser, of Bethel Home; and Kathy Mallmann, of SSM Health Waupun Memorial Hospital.
The sole recipient of the Nurse Leader Award was Sarah Curran, of Advocate Aurora Health.
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Therapy dog Josie helps ease student stress at Fox Cities campus
Hanging out with a canine companion helped break up the post-spring break week and bring a little joy to a Wednesday afternoon at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Fox Cities campus. Students were invited to “pet away the stress of the semester” with Josie the therapy dog.
Because Josie had been cheering up people in hospitals, human admirers were asked to don masks. The activity was organized by UWO Fox Cities Student Life.
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Shamrock Shuffle dashes around the Oshkosh campus
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh community swapped out black and gold for green for a few hours this weekend to show their spirit for the return of the Shamrock Shuffle. The annual 5K run/walk organized by the Student Recreation and Wellness Center debuted a new route this year, with participants winding through and circling the Oshkosh campus and ultimately returning to where they began, the Student Rec and Wellness Center. Along with the family-friendly 5K outside, the Beat Clash Kids Dash was held inside the RecPlex Dome.
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UWO ready to welcome students back to campuses
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is ready to welcome students back to its campuses. Students will notice several changes that have been made to enhance the safety of our community amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
Facilities crews have been hard at work installing plexiglass barriers, removing or covering furniture to ensure proper distancing, adding foot handles to doors, applying stickers to floors, and placing hand sanitizing stations throughout the university.
Signage has gone up outlining safety protocols. Students are asked to please adhere to them at all times. Face masks must be worn when inside and are encouraged outside when proper physical distancing can’t be maintained.
Students, faculty and staff have all been confronted with unprecedented challenges. With mutual dedication and respect, we can navigate these uncertain times together while upholding our commitment to higher education. To that end, every student, faculty and staff member is asked to make the Titan Safety Promise and perform a daily self-assessment before coming to campus. This information and much more can be found on the Titans Return website. The health assessment may also be accessed on our UWO Mobile app.
Additionally, everyone will receive a Titans Return bag that will include two UWO face masks, hand sanitizer, and health and safety information.
Whether you’re on the Fond du Lac, Fox Cities or Oshkosh campus, we ask that everyone do their part to ensure a safe and productive return to school this semester. So please wash your hands, wear your mask, keep your distance, and hail Titans.
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Students thank donors who supported Titans Rise campaign
When we asked our donor community to help support our students as they navigated the financial crisis presented by COVID-19, we were blown away by the response.
Our students needed help, and the Titan community rose to the occasion.
Because of our donors, the Titans Rise campaign raised $84,000 and has helped more than 250 students so far. From the bottom of our hearts, we want to say thank you.
If the powerful words of these students inspire you to make a gift to the Titans Rise campaign, please know that your contribution is needed and appreciated. Applications continue to arrive daily and nearly 500 students remain hopeful that they, too, will receive a grant.
Dear Class of 2020: A message from UW Oshkosh faculty and staff
On commencement day, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh faculty and staff typically gather at Kolf Sports Center to celebrate with the myriad of graduates, their friends and families. Even though a global pandemic moved the ceremony online and prevented us from being together in person, we’re still bursting with pride and ready to honor all that our graduating Titans have accomplished.
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UW Oshkosh alumni class notes: April 2023
’80 Patrick Oremus
’80 Patrick Oremus (LS), of Stuart, Florida, is an anchor and sports director with WPEC CBS 12 in West Palm Beach.
’86 Diane (Griffin) Tigert (EHS), of Oshkosh, taught 30 years in the Berlin Area School District and continues to sub in her retirement. Tigert and her husband have one grandson.
’88 Mark Bohn (LS), of Omro, has been teaching for 30 years in the Omro School District. Bohn recently welcomed his first grandchild.
’90 Craig Heilman (LS), of Sun Prairie, was appointed as administrator of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institution’s Division of Corporate and Consumer Services. Prior to the appointment, Heilman was the director of business architecture at Total Administrative Services Corp.
’91 Joe Verdegan (LS), of Dunbar, has published seven books since 2015, including the Amazon number one best-seller “The Reformatory-Tales from Green Bay’s Maximum-Security Prison.” Dunbar is working on his next true crime book about the Thomas Monfils case.
’95 Shawn (Sorensen) Sebora (LS), of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, is a board-certified chiropractic sports physician. Sebora has practiced in five states and two countries and currently practices in State College, Pennsylvania where she treats college athletes, former Olympians, and patients of all ages and abilities.
’96 Doug DeRosier (LS), of Delafield, is a senior surgical solutions account manager at 3M.
’98 Joel Landsverk (LS), of Appleton, founded Landsverk Media, a business that develops training content and learning management systems for companies. Landsverk has 20 years of experience in safety and compliance training.
’98 Jayme Whitty (B), of Eden, is an account services officer at National Exchange Bank & Trust, where he has worked since 2017.
’04 Matthew Zimmerman (EHS), of Appleton, is the incoming superintendent of the Menasha Joint School District. Zimmerman is currently an assistant superintendent in the Appleton Area School District where he has worked in several roles since 2011.
’07 Lauren Raupp (LS), of Brookfield, was named Outstanding Young Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Wisconsin Association for Justice. Raupp is a partner at MacGillis Wiemer.
’08 Micki Dirks-Luebbe (LS), of Weston, is the development director at Mid-State Technical College, where she oversees administration around federal, state and local grants. Dirks-Luebbe and her husband also own Down to Earth Greenhouse in Wausau.
’09 Kristen (Siebold) Chaudoir (EHS), of Kewaunee, is a team lead and account manager with Robertson Ryan & Associates. Chaudoir is married to ’03 David Chaudoir (EHS).
’09 John Erickson (LS), of West Hollywood, California, was sworn in as the Mayor Pro Tempore of the City of West Hollywood.
’13 Michael Schmidt (MBA), of Green Bay, is the director of marketing and business development at BayCare Clinic.
’14 Briana (Agnello) Mermall (LS), of Appleton, is a stay home mom and is married to ’14 Evan Mermall (B), a treasury manager at Jewelers Mutual. The Mermalls have two children.
’14 Briana (Agnello) Mermall, ’14 Evan Mermall and family
’18 Mary Chancellor (LS), of Eldorado, published two books of poems, Poems from the Heart and What’s the Twenty on the Fun? which documents adventures from Chancellor’s travel with her husband across the United States.
’20 Jim Knowles (LS), of Eden, was named Instructor of the Year by the Wisconsin Society of Emergency Services Instructors. Knowles is the assistant chief of the City of Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue Department.
’20 RaeAnna Myszka (B), of Chicago, is a human resources manager with Mon Ami Realty.
’20 Olivia Smith (LS), of Beloit, is an initial assessment case manager for Rock County Child Protective Services.
’21 Rhonda Callies (LS), of Morristown, Tennessee, is a production supervisor at JLG Industries.
’21 Noah Jorgensen (LS), of Fond du Lac, is a youth mentor with CESA 6.
’21 Brett Tornow (EHS), of Madison, is an assistant general manager of the Madison Mallards Baseball Club. Tornow’s father, ’84 Ted Tornow (EHS), has been the Clinton LumberKings’ manager for 25 years, a Prospect League team based in Clinton, Iowa.
’22 Ashley Crowe (DNP), of Neenah, is a Family Medicine Nurse Practitioner at ThedaCare Physicians Neenah.
’22 Mitchell Frydrych
’22 Mitchell Frydrych (MS), of Greenville, is chief technology officer at National Exchange Bank & Trust. Frydrych joined the bank in 2017 and has over 16 years of banking and Information Technology experience.
’22 Lauren Schneider (DNP), of Green Bay, is an advanced practice nurse prescriber specializing in cardiovascular risk reduction and prevention, structural/valvular heart disease and peripheral vascular disease at Bellin Health Cardiology Associates.
’22 Mikayla Unger (DNP), of Oshkosh, is a family medicine nurse practitioner with the ThedaCare orthopedic team.
UW Oshkosh alumni obituaries: April 2023
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Alumni Relations Office has received the following death notices:
’50s
Doris Sobieski (EHS) ’56 and (EHS) ’59, Berlin, Feb. 11, 2023
’60s
Paul Dewane (EHS) ’62 and (MST) ’67, Sheboygan, March 3, 2023
David Disterhaft (EHS) ’62, Rosendale, Feb. 16, 2023
Gail Einum (LS) ’67, Park City, Utah, Jan. 30, 2023
Joan Herreid (EHS) ’64, Neenah, March 7, 2023
Rebecca (Romenesko) Koehn (EHS) ’69, Sheridan, Wyoming, Feb. 9, 2023
Carol (Tatum) Lambrecht (EHS) ’67, Fond du Lac, Feb. 14, 2023
’70s
Linda (Cottreau) Ast (N) ’76, St. Francis, March 1, 2023
Michael Blandin (EHS) ’76, Manitowoc, Feb. 18, 2023
John Boldt (LS) ’70 and (MA) ’81, Green Bay, Feb. 22, 2023
Bruce Carew (B) ’79, Appleton, March 8, 2023
Sister Mercedes Geib (MSE) ’74, Fond du Lac, March 13, 2023
Susan Knapp (LS) ’73, Ocala, Florida, Feb. 14, 2023
Jim Kromm (B) ’71, Appleton, March 10, 2023
Phyllis Myers (MSE) ’79, Hudson, Feb. 10, 2023
Gaylord Remmel (B) ’75, Oshkosh, Feb. 25, 2023
Richard “Dick” Schuhart (EHS) ’74, Marinette, March 5, 2023
Noel Shields (MSE) ’70, Lompoc, California, Jan. 30, 2023
’80s
Terry Bartman (EHS) ’86, Oshkosh, Feb. 12, 2023
Donna Hunsicker (LS) ’82, Christchurch, New Zealand, May 12, 2020
William O’Black (MBA) ’81, Marshfield, Feb. 14, 2023
Annette (Wodushek) Schubert (LS) ’88, Racine, Feb. 8, 2023
’90s
Rebecca (Mader) Dillenberg (B) ’98 and (MBA) ’03, Omro, Feb. 2, 2023
Carol Keberlein (MSN) ’94, Neenah, March 4, 2023
Mary Ann Krupka (EHS) ’94, Appleton, March 8, 2023
John Mertzig (LS) ’90, Kewaskum, Feb. 12, 2023
John Willeford (B) ’95, Oshkosh, Feb. 25, 2023
’10s
Maurissa Bigjohn (MBA) ’19, Keshena, Jan. 15, 2023
Megan (Smith) Solomon (B) ’18, Dahlonega, Georgia, Feb. 16, 2023
Faculty and Friends
Lawrence Landwehr, associate professor of political science 1976-1983, Middleton, Feb. 5, 2023
Claud Thompson (EHS) ’54, College of Education professor 1964-1992 and summer 1993, Oshkosh, Feb. 22, 2023
♦︎ ♦︎ ♦︎
ABBREVIATION KEY
COLLEGES
• AAS — Associate of Arts and Science Degree
• B — Business
• EHS — Education and Human Services
• LLCE — Lifelong Learning and Community Engagement
• LS — Letters and Science
• N — Nursing
GRADUATE DEGREES
• DNP — Doctor of Nursing Practice
• EdD — Doctor of Education
• GMBA — Global Master of Business Administration
• MA — Master of Arts
• MBA— Master of Business Administration
• MPA — Master of Public Administration
• MS — Master of Science
• MSE — Master of Science in Education
• MSN — Master of Science in Nursing
• MST — Master of Science in Teaching
• MSW — Master of Social Work
If you know of a classmate, family member or other UW Oshkosh friend who has passed away, send an to email alumni@uwosh.edu or call the Alumni Relations Office at (877) UWO-ALUM or (920) 424-3449.
Advance-Titan takes home 17 awards from Wisconsin Newspaper Association contest
The Advance-Titan, the independent student newspaper covering the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh campuses, earned 17 awards in the 2022 Collegiate Better Newspaper Contest Friday at the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Convention.
Current editor-in-chief and former managing editor and news editor Katie Pulvermacher, a senior advertising and multimedia journalism major from Hartford, received first place in breaking news reporting, first place in feature writing and a third place and honorable mention in page design.
Additional awards included:
- The Advance-Titan website took first place among all the colleges entered. The web editor is Cassidy Johnson, a sophomore communications studies major from Green Bay.
- News editor Anya Kelley, a sophomore multimedia journalism major from Appleton, took first place in freedom of information award.
- The Advance-Titan staff swept the editorial writing category, taking first, second and third. Former opinion editor and current managing editor Kelly Hueckman, a junior multimedia journalism major from Prentice, received a first and third place, while former editor-in-chief Cory Sparks, senior radio TV film major from Pleasant Prairie, took second.
A-T staff members celebrated their success March 28 in the newspaper’s office in Reeve Union.
- Hueckman received second-place honors in arts and entertainment for a musical review.
- Sparks took first place in page design.
- Former editor-in-chief and 2022 graduate Owen Peterson, who is now a copy writer at Schneider in Green Bay, received a second place in column writing. He also received a third place in multimedia use.
- In the infographic category, reporter Liam Beran, a sophomore English major from Neenah, took second place for an election graphic. Graphic artist Josh Fannin, a senior graphic design major from Oshkosh, took third.
- Ad manager Luke Bussey, a first-year advertising major from Chicago, took second place honors in the advertisement category.
- Photographer Morgan Feltz, a first-year multimedia journalism from Neenah, took third place in photography.
The A-T staff are located in Room 19 of Reeve Memorial Union. They can be reached via email at atitan@uwosh.edu. The faculty adviser is Barb Benish.
Former UW Oshkosh softball coach Sharon Panske dies
Sharon Panske, a former softball head coach and athletic trainer at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, died Saturday at age 61.
Sharon Panske
The Oshkosh native served as the Titans head coach for 17 seasons, collecting 298 wins. She also was an assistant athletic trainer at UW Oshkosh for 14 years and an assistant volleyball coach for four.
Panske was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in July 2020. A full obituary is available here.
She led her softball squad to a 31-9 mark in 1987, her first season, when she made the first of three NCAA appearances during her tenure. The following season, she guided the Titans to 22 victories and a sixth-place finish at the 1988 NCAA Division III Finals in Elmhurst, Illinois, after finishing first in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference East Division standings for the second of three consecutive years. The Titans made another other trip to the NCAA tournament under Panske in 1997.
Panske received the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) 2022 Donna Newberry Perseverance Award, which recognizes an NFCA member coach who has demonstrated extraordinary strength of will and character in the fight to overcome a physical, mental or social adversity that presented an additional challenge to the already demanding job of a coach.
Panske was an active member of the NFCA for 30 years and served on the NFCA Board of Directors as First Vice President (1988-2001) and other NFCA and NCAA committees.
Panske most recently served as the Richland Center High School, working with student athletes as an athletic trainer since 2004. She was inducted into the Richland High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
A private burial will take place at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Oshkosh. Celebrations of life will be held in both Richland Center and Oshkosh at a later date. The Pratt Funeral and Cremation Service is assisting the family with their arrangements.
Trusted Elections Forum set for March 27 at UWO welcome center
The Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership will hold a Trusted Elections Forum at the Culver Family Welcome Center at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh on March 27 at 6:30 p.m.
Elections officials, election law experts and cybersecurity experts will share their thoughts on the safety and integrity of the Wisconsin elections process at this bipartisan public town hall. The free event is open to the public and will be moderated by Jessica Opoien of the Capital Times.
The panel will include Lisa Freiberg, county clerk for Fond du Lac County; Robert Kehoe, department administrator with the Wisconsin Elections Commission; Aaron Weinschenk, political science professor from UW-Green Bay; Dave Schroeder, research director for the Wisconsin Security Research Consortium; and Dan Tokaji, dean of UM-Madison Law School.
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